Art and Architecture

God was His Client – The Cathedral was His Church

Learn more about the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman and the man who created it.

Cincinnati architect Edward Schulte designed the La Crosse Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman at the peak of his career as a church architect of national prominence. The designer of four cathedrals and over 80 churches across the nation, Schulte was recognized as the leading American architect for Catholic churches in the years from World War II to the early 1960s. With his unreserved commitment to both modern inventiveness and a deep sense of churchliness, he used traditional imagery, texts, materials and allied arts integrated into buildings recognizably of his age, making him a uniquely inventive and successful figure in ecclesiastical circles.

On Saturday, October 6, 2012, Dr. Denis McNamara, Assistant Director of the Liturgical Institute and today’s foremost expert on Edward Schulte, discussed Schulte’s life and work, highlighting in a special way the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman. Our Cathedral—now celebrating its 50th anniversary—stands as one of the most significant designs of an architect of national prominence and plays a part in an important, but little-known movement, in liturgical architecture.